Pizzazz for Percy
by GabrielleWeasley17
Summary: Percy has always been a proper, polite, goody-two-shoes, but what happens when a girl with a bit more spice and sparkle finds his normality...not so normal– Maybe attractive? Hot? Rated M for future chapters. The story of how Percy and Audrey fall in love. R&R Please! (THE TITLE HAS CHANGED it was originally called Fear & Fault, Laughter & Love)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: forward is the only way on

Percy sighed and tried to take another deep breath. Instead of relaxing, he burst into fresh tears. It was too soon! It was impossible! How could this ever be true? He had only just seen his brother again for the first time in years...and now he would never see him again. Tears ran down his face as he watched his family, a few feet away, hugging one another and sobbing into each others shoulders. Percy couldn't bare to go over to them. Fred had died as he laughed at something Percy had said. Something _Percy_ had said. Percy choked at the thought that Fred may still be alive now if it hadn't been for Percy distracting him.

Percy felt a hand on his back, and assuming it was a member of his family, he tried to shrug the hand away. He was still choking though, and couldn't do much else. The person pat Percy on the back, helping him regain control of his lungs and breathing. Percy looking to his left and saw a girl sit down on the step of the Great Hall beside Percy. "Shhh," she said. She patted his back a moment longer then stopped and just let her hand rest on his back, occasionally, rubbing his dirty, sweatered back in comfort. After a few minutes of silence, she held out her hand in greeting, "Audrey Rosier." She had a very light French accent, like she was originally from France, but had not lived there in a long time.

Percy looked at her blankly for a moment, then, "Rosier? That's a Death Eater name."

She winced at his comment, "A connection I 'ad 'oped you wouldn't make." She looked him in the eye, gravely. "Mon uncle," she nodded her head in the direction of the part of the Great Hall that dead Death Eaters had been lain, "raised me. 'e is a Death Eater...I am not. 'e always thought 'e would be able to force me onto 'is side." She sighed, "But in the end, I was the last person 'e dueled before someone elses killing curse missed its intended target, killing 'im." She looked up a Percy, "I should be sad to see ze man who raised me die, but 'e was so cruel and so many innocent people 'ave died from the cruelty 'e supported, I would 'ardly call 'im family– only a man that I am unfortunate enough to share a name avec." She frowned.

"Hmm." Percy couldn't talk. His brother was one of those innocent people.

Audrey looked at Percy and saw it in his eyes. "Which one?" She asked quietly. "If you don't mind me asking..."

_Do you ever stop talking? _Percy thought, annoyed, _can't you see i am perfectly content with being alone?_ Percy didn't say that out loud, though. He couldn't be rude, so instead, he lifted a shaky hand toward Fred's body, surrounded by the red haired, sobbing family. New tears fell to his cheeks. Audrey looked where he was pointing and felt her heart drop lower than it had already been. Most of the bodies in the hall had a only a few people around them at a time. This body was surrounded by close to ten people, all with flaming red hair. "Oh la la," was all she said. "Zut!" She added under her breath as the scene in front of her sank in.

Percy sat there on the steps in the Great Hall for over an hour, calming down, then breaking into fresh tears, then calming down again and repeating the pattern. Audrey sat by him the whole time, occasionally rubbing his back in comfort. Why shouldn't she? She had no family except for her uncle, she new none of the students here because she had attended Beauxbatons, and she had no-one to mourn because quite frankly, she didn't care that her uncle, her last remaining relative, had died.

After a little over an hour, a middle-aged, plump witch with curly, red hair approached them. Her face, tear streaked and puffy. "Percy, dear," she said, and Percy looked up from his hands, "w-we-we're going to move h-his b-b-body n-now." The women began to sob again and embraced Percy. Audrey moved away, giving them time, and now knowing the man was named Percy.

Audrey watched as the red haired women embraced the younger, distressed man. Audrey assumed they must be mother and son. They looked very similar. _Et ze one who died must be the guy's, eh, Percy's brother,_ Audry thought, '_ow awful! _Audry now watched the family from a distance. Harry Potter entered the Great Hall with his two friends, together they made what everyone called, The Golden Trio. The three of them approached the red-headed family. One of the three was obviously another brother to the deceased. Someone around the body shifted, allowing the other three into the circle and embracing them. Audrey saw for just one second, the body of a young man, probably around her age. Her eyes filled with tears at how young, handsom, brave, and peaceful he looked. '_ow is it possible to look so...well...d'accord...almost blissful...après un war?_ She thought. Her heart gave another jolt when she realized the man who was sobbing the most and holding on to the body was identical to the dead one. _Twins_, she thought, '_ow terrible!_

Audrey saw Percy finally join the family. First he embraced the one who had been with Potter, then the twin stood up shakily and flung his arms around Percy causing fresh tears to spill from both of their eyes. Just as they began to get ready to transport the body, Audrey was interrupted from her people-watching.

"Uh, Miss. Rosier?" Audrey looked up. A tall ministry official stood over her, waiting for a response.

"Bonjour." she stood up.

"We are beginning to make burial arrangements. The deceased may be buried by their families, except in some cases, we realize some families may not have that interest. Would you like to make the arrangements for your deceased or shall he be buried by the ministry in the graveyard there?"

Audrey didn't even think before she spoke, " 'e is not mine. Do what you like with 'im." With that, she turned on her heal and left the hall. Her own father was killed by his own brother during the first war, almost twenty years ago. Her mother had also died then. Both her parents were against the dark arts and yet Audrey had been raised by a Death Eater. She shuddered. One thing was for sure— she would never fallow in her uncle's footsteps.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Connections

It was two days after the Battle. Audrey sighed and put her letter from the ministry on the small table in her flat. The ministry had just sent her a conformation of her uncle's burial. She could hear the daily shopping bustle and noise of Diagon Alley outside her window. She got up from her chair and gathered her things. Her uncle, not having any other family, had left her everything. She had done all of that business the day before at Gringotts, and now it was time to move on. She rented her flat during the war when Diagon Alley was a ghost town. Now it was full of hustle and bustle and it was time to find work.

Finally, in the seventh shop she stopped in, she was able to get a job. The owner was an old man in need of an assistant. It wasn't much, but it would pay her rent and besides she had money from her uncle and her parents in Gringotts already. Her job was in a quill, ink, and parchment shop. It smelled like fresh parchment and leather– like books. She liked it. Unfortunately, the most popular product right now was guest books and signing quills for funerals.

She sat behind the counter a little after lunch. Business had slowed since many people were in restaurants and cafés now, so Audrey was reading an old leather book by a muggle author that the old man had offered her. The bell on the door of the dimly lit shop jingled, and Audrey looked up.

"Audrey! Mon amie! Ça fait longtemps depuis J'ai vu toi!" Audrey grinned. Fleur Delacour had been a year above her at Beauxbatons, but they had been good friends, anyway.

"Fleur! Quelle surprise! Ça va?" Audrey felt a little wave of excitement in her body after having such a terrible year and horrendous last couple of days. To see a friendly familiar face was the best thing in the world. She looked past Fleur to see who else had come in and stared in surprise.

"Oh j'ai été mieux beaucoup de temps mais les choses peuvent être plus mal. Et toi?" Fleur took no notice of Audrey's momentary shock at Fleur's companions who were talking to each other and hadn't yet looked to see who Fleur was talking to.

"Oh même que toi. Je suis content de vous revoir!" Just as Fleur leaned into give Audrey a hug, Fleurs companions looked up from their conversation. Audrey's eyes locked with Percy's and she new he recognized her. _Well this is about to get awkward_, Audrey thought.

Fleur pulled away, smiling in delight at seeing her old friend, "Audrey, c'est mon mari, Bill Weasley." Fluer motioned to the man next to Percy who stepped forward and introduced himself. Audrey didn't know that Fleur had gotten married so it was a pleasant surprise and she congratulated the couple. "Et c'est mon beau-frère, Percy Weasley." Fleur motioned to Percy. Just then the old man who own the shop came into the room and interrupted them, distracting them momentarily before leading Bill and Fleur to the special funeral quills. Percy stayed behind with Audrey.

"You don't want to go with them?" Audrey asked him. She felt strangely nervous talking to him. Percy looked up at her, "ah, no. I think you've seen me cry enough already."

Audrey heard the light humor in his voice but couldn't bring herself to smile. She looked at him. His horn rimmed glasses were a little crooked, "i'm sorry for your loss."

Percy tensed up a bit and stiffly said, "and i, yours." To percy's surprise, she laughed.

"One should never laugh at a death, but my uncle's death was no loss. Only a gain. I can finally have a life– do what i want, laugh at what i want, say what i want, date who i want, live where i want," she sighed, "i've never been able to make a real decision." She smiled at him, "now i won't have to worry about if i annoy him or don't get a good enough grade," she pulled up the sleeve of her sweater, revealing scars and irritated skin and bruises that looked like they had been there for years with no healing. Percy's eyes bulged as she said, "because he won't be there to punish me for my wrong doings."

"Minor mistakes are no excuse to harm!" Percy exclaimed shocked. The girl might be a little weird, definitely annoying the first time they had met, but news of her upbringing was just disturbing.

She sighed pulling her sleeve back down, "yeah, try telling a Death Eater that. It taught me a lot though. You know, how to persevere and how to stand back up after a fall, you know, helpful stuff."

Percy just looked at her dumbfounded, "their are many better ways to learn those lessons. Believe me." Percy was horrified by the thought of someone learning those lessons through abuse."

"Percy?" Bill walked over holding up two quills, "final decision time, which one?"

Percy looked back and forth between the two quills. One was black with splotchy maroon dots and gold tips, the other was as orange as Fred's hair and thinned out at the top into a gold streak. "The orange one."

"D'accord." Fleur took the quill from Bill and slipped her hand into his back pocket, withdrawing his wallet. A moment later they had paid and left.

Percy lay on his old bed in his room at The Burrow. People had been in and out all day on Order business even though the war was over. After getting home from their errands in Diagon Alley, Percy, Bill, and Fleur had done a few hours of work around The Burrow and for Order business. Finally, now Percy was able to spend some time just with himself. Kingsley had come by that afternoon and rehired Percy to the ministry. Percy hadn't even been sure if he wanted to go back to the ministry, but Kingsley said they needed people with experience more than ever now, so Percy was needed. As a result, Percy now had a thirty page report due the next day on the topic of war crime trial procedures. He sighed to himself,_ i should get up and work on that. I haven't even started it yet!_ Normally, Percy would be completely absorbed in that kind of stuff, but today he just couldn't focus his brain on anything. He just lay there on his bed for a minute, staring at the ceiling and thinking. Fred was gone, Percy felt a pang in his chest. How would he ever move forward? As he thought this, a picture of Audrey floated into his head and he scoffed, _yeah right, she's so...different..not businesslike or professional in any way... _Percy thought of how different the two of them were. He wore a sweater or sweater vest everyday with a button-down shirt, and bow-tie or straight tie, and corduroys. Always. Everyday. She...was different. Very. Different. Her nails had been painted a glittery black that was chipped and worn, she wore shiny purple combat boots, and her hair boy-short and dyed a rich, dark red. She had a little stud on one nostril and her other nostril had an actual nose ring in it. On the opposite side of her face from where her nose ring was, she had a lip ring on her lower lip. She had been wearing a nice cardigan but underneath it, with the neck hole cut wider, had been a t-shirt with the Weird Sisters on it...Percy chuckled, she was quite the sight. He had been surprised to find out that she and Fleur had once been close friends. The two girls were exact opposites it seemed. Once Percy started thinking about Audrey's quirkieness, he had a hard time stopping. She wore dark greenish-teal, plastic framed, glasses. She had multiple ear piercings..._.I wonder if she had a tatoo, _Percy though. Then he paused, a little shocked, _why am I so interested in her? And why did the thought of her maybe having a tatoo give me a little thrill?! _Percy got up from the bed, _ok I need to do something with myself. I should not be thinking about her like that! _With that, Percy got out a quill and parchment and began drafting his report.

Yesterday, in the shop, Fleur had told her Fred's funeral was today, mid day. Audrey didn't really know the family, but felt some unexplainable need to attend. She got up early that morning and went to the quill shop. Just after 11:30 she returned to a her flat, dressed for the funeral, and apparated to the place Fleur had said the service would be.

When Audrey arrived, she was surprised at how many people were there. She was sure there were more people at this service than there were at many of the other ones. She took in her surroundings somemore. The Burrow, where she had been instructed to come, was a nice piece of property and the house on the other side of the large funeral tent, looked like a rag doll in house form, which Audrey found to be very appealing.

"Er-hello?" Percy had seen Audrey arive and had been surprised, but unexpectedly pleased. He decided to go welcome her. His voice sounded mire tentative than he had meant for it to, but she smiled warmly at him.

"Hi. I hope you don't mind that i came. I just felt a wierd need to come."

Percy nodded slowly, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable and nervous, and she began to worry she had said something, but then he bit his lip and a little uncertainly, asked, "what if i just felt a weird need to ask you out?" He was looking at the ground.

"Well if you're talking to the ground then i should probably remind you that it most likely won't reply. However, if you're talking to me, you could look up, look me in the face, and ask again."

Percy looked up and blushed scarlet, "sorry." He fidgetted for a moment and glanced at the ground again. Then he looked back up at her face and nervously asked, "would you like to get tea sometime?"

She smiled. His obvious discomfort somehow turned her on. Not in a creepy, cruel way, but in a 'that's really sensitive and sweet' way. "Sure,why not."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: moving Forward

He had been told that the best way to move on was to stay busy. Fortunately, work for the Order and the Ministry were doing a good job of keeping Percy busy. He worked, seriously and studiously, just like always, but he didn't laugh, he barely cracked a smile, and he hardly ever spoke. He took to wearing his dullest and most boring clothes and walked with less importance. Four days since the Battle, less than 24 hours since Fred's funeral, Percy had asked a girl out— at Fred's funeral no less. One voice in Percy's head kept commenting on how unprofessional and inappropriate that was. Another voice kept reminding Percy how proud Fred would be. _She isn't even my type! What have I gotten myself into_?! Percy thought as he got ready for his mid-afternoon tea date.

Audrey was nothing like Percy! Nothing! Nothing like any of his past girlfriends either! This morning, Percy was putting on and yellow, muggle styled, oxford shirt, his favorite caramel colored corduroys, and his favorite red and brown cardigan. He pointed his wand at his black, horn-rimmed glasses, cleaning their lenses, and then he put them on. Looking at himself in the mirror, he unsuccessfully tried to flattened his curly hair, took his wand from his bed and his satchel of work and left The Burrow, disapparating just outside the protective boundaries.

Percy arrived in Diagan Alley an hour and a half before their planned meeting time. He had some work to do for the ministry, reporting on the jobs the Hogwarts House Elves were given in the process of repairing the castle. Audrey said she would meet him in a coffee shop called Tea-lights & Tea-cups, so they could casually visit during her mid-afternoon break.

Audrey arrived an hour later, thirty minutes early. "Percy!" Percy started in surprise and looked up into the glowing face of Audrey. "Hi!" She smiled widely, "I didn't know you were planning to come early! It's been slow in the shop all day so Mr. Mackey let me off early! Mind if i sit down?"

"Oh-oh yes, of course," Percy stammered, surprised by her energy. "Er-looks like you have some work too...?"

"Yeah, I was just gonna work on it while I waited for you, but that obviously isn't happening. Do you mind my earliness?"

"What? Oh no! Not at all. This is just ministry business," he motioned towards his work, "its nothing interesting and hardly important."

"The Ministry?" She asked, interestedly, "that's what my work is— well kind of anyway. I'm thinking of applying for a job in the Department of Foreign Relations and Policy."

Percy lifted an eye brow, impressed, "wow, that's really prestigious!" Her attire (combat boots, the same piercings as before, and a dress that was far shorter than what Percy typically considered appropriate) definitely didn't show a classy business women, but then again, different cultures are used to different things so maybe Audrey would be a good addition to the strictly professional society that was the Ministry. "Have you done any kind of work like that in the past?"

"Nothing paid, no. But i did a two year exchange in South Africa. I was there for my fourth and fifth years of school. I hated it. It was a school for the dark arts," she explained, "but I've lived both here in London and in Paris, and I absolutely love learning about other cultures and meeting people from them!" She was really enthusiastic and Percy couldn't help but be impressed. Audrey was far from his type, but she kept giving him a weird squirmy feeling every time they met. "That's really neat. They usually try to get younger people for the job too. How old are you anyway? I'm 22, almost 23."

"I just turned 19." She smiled at him...very...charmingly. Percy took this to mean she liked that he was almost four years older. Percy didn't like this though. He had never dated anyone who was less than six months younger than him.

"So, uh, when did you move to London?"

"March. I didn't know what my idiot uncle was up to, but news of everything going on up here is worldwide so I figured it was time to get in the action. I tried to reach the Order of Phoenix, but you all hide yourselves pretty well."

Percy laughed a little nervously, "yeah, they're pretty good at that when need be."

"They? Are you not part of it?"

"Erm well...I am now...but not before, no. I was stupid. I wanted power and money and thought I was better than my family, but all I really did was hurt them and make a full of myself. After the new year I started noticing this...then I heard about the battle. I just had to fight."

"Wow."

"Yeah, it's embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? Maybe to you, but not to me. I mean sure, you made stupid decisions but everyone does. What counts is that you had the self-respect and respect for everyone else to find the bravery to come back and admit you were wrong. Not a lot of guys would do that."

Percy smiled, appreciatively, "thanks. No one ever said anything like that to me."

Audrey smiled back, "How about we order something now?"

"Ok."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

"Good morning Mum. Dad." Percy nodded to his parents and noted that no one else was awake yet. He stopped to pour himself a cup of tea and leaned down to kiss Mrs. Weasley on the cheek.

"Morning, Percy, Dear. Sleep well?" Percy acknowledged that he had and noticed something in his mother's voice. A moment later, he understood why his mother's voice sounded odd. "Percy, dear? You were talking to a girl at-a-at F-Fred's funeral...uh...M-Minerva said she saw you with her a-after the b-battle as well? I was just curious..is she a friend of yours from the ministry?" Everyone was still in shock and by Fred's loss. Percy was surprised his mother even mention Fred's name or the battle.

Mr. Weasleys looked up from the prophet at Molly's question. "A-a girl? With Percy? When?" Arthur looked at his son expectantly. As far as he knew, Percy had only ever had one girlfriend.

Percy felt his face burn a little as he answered. "O-oh, ah, no. No, she's not from the, Ministry." Percy went to sit at the table and looked up at his parents. They were looking at him expectantly and his face got pinker. "Erm, she's just a, uh, friend."

Mr. Weasley raised an eyebrow at his son. "That's a lot of stuttering for someone who is only a friend," he pointed out.

"Ah, yes, well uh..." If Percy's face got any hotter, it would catch fire, "she's a uh...closer friend..only, uh, met her at the uh, um, battle." His voice was quiet and intimidated, but for the first time since the Battle, a little smile (so small, it was hardly noticable) spread across Mrs. Weasley's lips.

"Oh Percy! That's wonderful!"

Somehow, Percy managed to blush even darker. "Ah yes, well who knows what will, uh, happen?"

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, "well ask her to come here. We are hosting the Order tonight. She could come...uh, she fought on our side, right?"

Percy nodded, "yes, but uh she probably has, uh, plans...or something..."

Mrs. Weasley hit her son with a dishtowel as she set down a plate of bacon. "Now Percy, there's no reason to be embarrassed of your family or a girl."

"A girl? Percy what?" Percy growned as he saw Bill pad into the kitchen, closely fallowed by Fleur and a groggy Harry. Percy flushed again.

Harry's eyes woke up a bit more as he entered the kitchen. "Who? Oh, wait, lemme guess– that girl from the Great Hall, yeah? I thought that was you I saw with her." Everyone except a tomato-faced Percy looked at Harry questionably. "After I stopped by the Joke Shop for George yesterday. I saw her as I passed a tea shop. She's not easy to miss. Then I thought I saw Percy, but I couldn't look back to check because I thought I heard Rita Skeeter's voice near by." Harry frowned at the memory of the annoying witch.

Mr. Weasley looked back at his red-faced son. "Just a friend? Boy, Percy if a date is only friendship then we need to sit down and talk."

Percy blushed deeper, humiliated at being exposed by Harry, "it was only one date!"

"One date? Who got a date?" Percy sighed in exasperation as Ginny and Hermione entered the kitchen. Not far behind them, a freshly-showered Ron fallowed. Ginny looked at Percy's pink face and demanded, "well?!"

"I-i just met someone, that's all. Really, it's nothing. Only just happened." Everyone was silent for a minute, soking up the information that Percy had managed to get a girl.

After a moment, Mrs. Weasley interupted the silence. "Bill, dear, will you go wake up Charlie and Georgie?"

As Bill left the room, Ginny sat down directly infront of Percy with her interrogation face on. "So..."

Percy put his hand up to his cheek as he watched Audrey disappear back into the shop she worked at. He had surprised her earlier by coming by just before her lunch break to invite her to lunch. They had had fun, and Percy invited her to dinner with the Order and his family that evening. Audrey had been surprised but thrilled by the invitation. Now he was dropping her off after their lunch, and she had kissed him quickly on the cheek before disappearing into the dimly lit shop.

Five hours later, Percy packed up his things and left the café where he had spent the afternoon working on Order and Ministry business. He walked down the crowded pavement in Diagon Alley towards the quill shop. As he reached it Audrey stepped outside to meet him. She had changed clothes since he had last seen her at lunch. She no longer wore ripped jeans but a summery cotton skirt that fell just above her knees. "You look nice," Percy commented.

She smiled back, "thanks, I thought maybe I should look nice since I'm meeting so many new people. You look handsome as well."

Percy blushed, "It's the same thing I had on earlier."

Audrey laughed, "and yesterday, and the day before," Percy blushed a little, "but don't worry, you've looked handsome every time." As she said this, she slipped her hand into his. And Percy felt little butterflies in his stomach as she did. They had never held hands before. Heck, Percy had never held hands with a girl. He had dated Penelope Clearwater during his seventh year, but he couldn't recall ever actually holding her hand. After a moment, Percy pushed his thoughts and butterflies away and nodded towards an Alley way by a little book shop. "We'll apparate from there."

Not even five minutes later, Audrey and Percy landed just outside the Burrow's protective boundaries, blinking as they adjusted the the bright sunlight. "Right," Percy said, pulling Audrey towards the old house, "so, uh, this is the Burrow. I grew up here. I have one sister and six—uh," he paused for a moment, "well, five brothers..." He trailed off.

Audrey squeezed his hand, understanding what was going on in his mind. "You still have six. You always will. One is just living in another place now." Percy squeezed her hand back in appreciation. He had officially decided he liked holding hands. There was something relaxing and reassuring about it...or maybe that was just her...

"Thanks." They were nearing the house now and Percy looked around. He could hear voices coming from the tree-surrounded hill above the house. "Sounds like they've got a quidditch game going. Do you want to go check that out or go on inside? I don't really know who all is here right now. Audrey smiled at him.

"A quidditch match? That's so cool that you can play near by."

Percy laughed, "it's good for them. For me though, it just means Fre– er, George has, uh, more, uh, opportunities...to, uh, almost kill me..." Audrey squeezed his hand again.

"Remember what I said? He's not permanently gone, he's just someplace else." Percy nodded and they walked towards the hill in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey y'all! I'm super sorry I havn't updated in FOREVER! The reason...i'm failing French and Math! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ITS GONNA KILL ME! WHAT IF I DONT GET INTO COLLEGE? WHAT IF MY PARENTS DISOWN ME? Yeah...thats my life right now. If God or the universe or whoever you do or don't believe in loves me, hopefully they'll help me get my grades up and then I can post again. Agh. I'm sorry y'all, but SOON! Happy Spring!

GabrielleWeasley17

p.s. Any tips? Message me!


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